Pinks, Lilacs and Iris

Good Sunday morning!

I talked about my Lilacs last post and it was just before we took a trip out to Portland, Oregon to see our son.  I was tickled when I returned to see my lilac tree form blooming even more profusely than when I left.

You have to excuse my excitement, but last year I had about 5 blooms on the whole tree so I'm thrilled to see it doing so much better!

Find the butterfly!

Overnight the flowers let go and sprinkled the ground beneath with their prettiness.

The "pinks" or  Dianthus are in full bloom.  

It's been raining on and off for several days.  My bearded iris are blooming away and I'm delighted that all three colors I planted are blooming at the same time.

I have a limited area for the iris so I chose to pick three colors that would create a nice summery look and I'm happy with the results.  

Out back the hostas have really filled in nicely and the Siberian Iris have been blooming.  

Thank you for visiting!

I hope you have a wonderful Sunday and a great week!

Pathway Fairy Garden

I've been working on a new fairy garden.

 This is the area I've taken over for my new fairy garden.  Last year i had placed this large granite stone at the corner of the pathway to the patio and added a few sedum plants.  This past winter was so harsh that my boxwoods you see on the left were bascially ruined so I removed them.

As you can see the little sedum lants have grown a lot.

I still have my other fairy garden, but it's a little ways out back and this one I can view from the deck and my kitchen window. 

The inspiration for this garden came from this cottage styled house I found at a garden center.  I've layered in some stones, more plants, mushrooms and accents.

I wanted a little more color so a few pieces I already owned were updated.  That little tiny bird bath actually got visited by a robin the other day.  Too funny to see her sipping water from it!

  

To the left is this partial tree stump I  brought in.  I noticed it on our wood pile out back and liked the texture and movement in the piece.  I got this idea to put the little dining set up on top but knew it was going to fall off easily, especially with wind or when the chipmunks and squirrels visit, so staples were added to keep it from being knocked off.  Of course this will all look so much more interesting later this summer when the plants have expanded.

The stump even has dried mushrooms on it, which I thought was quite perfect for my fairy garden.

  

In the forefront is this cute little foot bridge.
I'm still forming ideas for it...

Behind the cottage house are some Irish Moss I added.  It likes shade so I gave it a home in the back to protect it.  I hope it really takes off and fills in.

 I added a couple of mushrooms and flowers.  I also took come cuttings from the sedum and look forward to seeing it spread. (You can see one of them on the lower left)

To the right of the cottage is this arbor where Julia my little garden fairy works to keep things growing!  We had a good rain last night and I jumped out early to take some pictures before it all dried.

 You may have noticed the "rock" wall I added.  I decided to create a border around the fairy garden.  Judia's sister's are here to greet you and guide you on a tour through the garden.

This is one of my favorite things...I half buried this clay pot and planted some Virginia Creeper next to it.  I hope the Virginia Creeper will be hardy enough to come back.  In warmer climates I guess it can be quite prolific!

I'm having fun with it and I hope you enjoyed it too!  

I'm joining 

Fishtail Garden for 2014 Garden Party #7

 

Iris to Peonies Walkabout

  

My Bearded Iris by the driveway are still blooming, but approaching the end quickly.

We've had so much rain that many of the taller plants have 

taken a sideways lean! 

(The quack grass is to be ignored! I've been remiss in my weeding duties!)

I did a walkabout last night and snapped a bunch of pictures.  

It was just before sunset but the lighting was still fair.

This one came out rather nicely! 

Nature's beauty is unrivaled!

Moving out back near the fountain area my Siberian Iris have begun blooming.  I couldn't see their flowers from the house! I split them up last year, so I was pleased to see these flowering.  They weren't performing very well prior to my splitting them up, so I guess they needed it!

Delicate but beautiful!

The sun made for some good shots!

It would be nice if these flowers bloomed for the whole summer! This area is in the shade most of the day so I feel lucky to see these blooming!  They only get some late evening sun and a small dappling of sun in the early morning.

I'm pleased as could be that the peonies are starting to bloom!  

I do think it's one of the best fragrances mother nature has provided! The flowers are beautiful too!

Such artistry!

WARNING

The following are not for the arachnid squeamish types!

If you look closely at the top right flower you can see my little friend down in there...

It came out quickly! It seemed to literally glow...very fluorescent in coloring!

This was my best shot. He didn't stand still long enough for a 2nd try!  Believe me I am not fond of spiders, but in this case I'm more impressed with the uniqueness of it than I am being uncomfortable about it!

CLEAN UP YOUR ACT!!

Okay I'll clean it up with a some more other shots and my favorite shot of the evening so you can clear your mind of creepy crawly things!

Out by the tulips, I planted some alliums.  They look like science fiction creatures right now! 

They are about 40" tall and still forming their blooms.  I didn't realize they wouldn't bloom with the tulips!

These lilies will be blooming soon!

They have really multiplied! 

My favorite shot! 

The rain we've had recently really perked things up! 

Everything is full of color!

The woods in the background are mostly made up of 

Oak, Beech, Maple and Ash.

They are on the south side of us and provide all the shade from the hot sun for most of the day.  It's a good thing!!

OFF SUBJECT

 My Dianthus or Garden Pinks as some call them are in full bloom too!

I don't know why but the lens doesn't see to focus well on these! I think the "hot" color throws off the sensors!

So that's my walkabout garden tour of my gardens... how are yours doing?

Join me at Fishtail Cottage for
 the Garden Party